Chapter 682

Suddenly, the space station beneath Star's feet disappeared.

She floated in a mass of white light.

March 7 and Dan Heng flashed through the white light…… that was her exclusive, precious memory of the Astral Express.

"Even if pulling it out means an unfortunate ending… would you all still do it without fail?" Miss Note's voice rang from above.

On Star's back, Saber lightly shook her head: 'Merlin once warned me the same way.'

"So, I've woven you each a gentle, peaceful dream—isn't that exactly what your hearts desire?"

"I have indeed thought about it: if someone else had pulled out the Sword of Selection, perhaps they could have done better than me. But for the girl who once pulled the sword from the stone, I cannot blame her for her overreaching heart. She merely wanted to, like the king who challenged the white dragon, try to save something."

"If there is another chance to choose, I will tell her: I hope this time you can do better than your past self."

"Master, you must have rested enough in this peaceful, happy dream, right? Now let's leave this place together!"

——

fate/apocrypha。

"This is my Father King's true thoughts……"

Mordred finally understood her Father King's inner feelings; beneath the surface of that perfect knight king lay such delicate thoughts. From beginning to end she had been yearning and chasing after that noble figure—her Father King was perfect in everything, but beyond perfection…… she had never imagined that her Father King also had a fragile, hesitant side.

"I'm glad the legendary knight king holds to his own heart, but if she refuses to acknowledge you, you'll still rise in rebellion, right?" Shizi Jiejieli exhaled a smoke ring, saying lightly.

"Hmm." Mordred nodded. "If he refuses to acknowledge me, I will personally trample his greatness. master, you wouldn't think I'd change my mind just because of my father king's words, would you?"

Shizi Jie waved his hand: 'Not at all—if your thoughts could be easily changed, you wouldn't be a knight famed in history for 【rebellion】.'

"Hehe, master, you still understand me pretty well~"

Mordred laughed while she gave Shizi Jie's back a heavy slap; the 'pah' sound almost made him stumble.

During this time, Shizi Jie indeed figured out Mordred's preferences to a tee; summing up: as long as you don't speak ill of King Arthur, don't praise him, don't treat Mordred herself as a woman, don't be too rigid, don't be bewitched by other Servants to the point of losing your mind, and truly listen to her opinions…… getting along is still quite simple.

——

"You will surely regret it." Miss Note said firmly in her ear.

Star slowly closed her eyes.

The crew badge on her chest turned into specks of white light that gradually dissipated; at the moment she gripped her baton tightly, the memories of fighting the rift creatures in Belobog, the moments of the Astral Express facing off against the Phantylia, the perilous struggle against the Divine Principal in Pinokangni—countless real memories surged back into her mind.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she opened her eyes; her golden irises held no trace of confusion.

"Never."

The shattered illusion was like two huge mirrors, simultaneously cracking apart.

In the dream‑filled Britain, Saber's posture remained steadfast as ever; she resolutely drew the Sword of Selection——the Invincible Golden Sword.

Points of light, like fireflies slumbering in the earth's veins, rose one by one—from the vast wilds of Britain, from between the roots of distant forests, from the ripples of winding rivers…… countless rays of light seemed summoned, rushing toward the holy sword in Saber's hand.

And it was precisely at the moment this light reached its peak——

"Crack——"

Caster's Noble Phantasm was finally broken; Star stood beside her, gripping her baton, which clashed steadily with her holy sword.

"Why… do you have such blind courage? Don't you ever feel regret?"

Miss Note still tried to make a final desperate struggle, but without her Noble Phantasm's support she could not possibly contend with everyone, and was quickly defeated.

——

fate/zero。

Brilliantly dazzling.

The blade seemed forged from the purest light, and even the unbridled, unrestrained Conqueror King's face was filled with unreserved astonishment and admiration.

In Saber's previous battle with Lancer, she had not fully revealed the nature of that transparent sword; unexpectedly, once this holy sword was fully unleashed, it possessed such radiance……

It is the light forged shouldering the hopes of all the people of an entire era. Although he does not endorse this little girl's kingly way, he also knows he cannot find fault with her——the dazzling light of this holy sword is the very best proof of the knight king's kingly way.

"Kid, what's the name of that sword?"

When asked about his field of expertise, Waver calmed himself a bit, and after Saber revealed her true name, he quickly looked up the relevant legends about King Arthur.

"Excalibur." Waver said, "Legend has it this king's sword was received from the Lady of the Lake. However, this Noble Phantasm is divided into blade and sheath; Saber is showing the blade's aspect."

"In other words, Saber still has a sheath she hasn't revealed—what effect does the sheath have?"

The legend says Merlin told King Arthur: 'The sheath's value is ten times that of the blade. One who bears the sheath of the king's sword will never bleed.' In Saber's previous battle with Lancer, Saber had been wounded; if the sheath's legend holds true, the sheath might not be with Saber—I suspect it is with her master.

Rider stroked his beard: 'Master…… that little girl's master has never truly shown himself; compared to the openly noble Saber, her master is the type who likes to hide in the shadows.'

——

"Just as when I was alive, I have failed. As a traitor, this is…… a fitting end."

"Zhigengniao still didn't understand her choice: 'Miss Note, since the stage once caused you such pain, why, after leaving the prison, do you again choose to remain on the stage of Pinokangni?'"

"I still remember that whenever I sang, the rough prisoners would quiet down, the crying children would stop sniffling and start smiling. Because of these trivial things, even in an iron cell I still felt free."

Miss Note, kneeling on the ground, closed her eyes and lifted her head in pain: 'But Pinokangni has changed; after so many amber ages, it has become more unfamiliar. And I am locked away by this newly born cage.'

"Enough; now is the time to end all this—a Servant who betrays their master has no right to exist!"

Having said that, Zhigengniao also understood the other's resolve. She drew a steady breath, her steps firm as she slowly approached Miss Note and raised her right hand, inscribed with a command seal.

"If that is so, I will do as you wish……"